“So now that I think about it…”
There was something I hadn’t had the chance to check because I had been moving so frantically.
The motel, or rather, the castle, placed on one side of the Military base.
Camelot, the goose that lays Enhancement Stones, had continued to bear fruit repeatedly.
Clink!
The sound of something dropping.
Out of curiosity, I approached the castle, and I couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
“My god… How many are there?”
Literally ‘piled up’.
And quite abundantly at that.
The Enhancement Stones, which used to trickle in like a rare harvest, were now radiating brilliantly with multicolored lights.
“My lord!”
The four knights of Camelot ran out with joy when they saw me.
Of course, seemingly not wanting to experience the itching, they welcomed me while standing at the threshold.
Now grown to four in number, the knights included Percival, whose ‘Regeneration’ ability had proven to be a shining asset.
I couldn’t help but commend their efforts.
“Damn it… You guys…!”
In truth, it was incredible.
Lancelot, Bedivere, Percival, and Mordred.
Just these four knights had been guarding the otherwise empty Camelot.
How many days and nights had I felt that their numbers were too few, leaving the castle looking desolate?
It wasn’t due to any selfish motives that I harbored such feelings.
Thud!
I stood before Camelot.
And then, I voiced a long-held wish.
“It’s time… to rebuild the Knights.”
“My lord…!”
Overcome with emotion, Lancelot covered his mouth,
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
And eight wraiths let out cheers akin to whistles.
It was a bit unfortunate that the wraiths’ search abilities would be lost, but it wasn’t a big problem.
The ‘Etherealization’ Enhancement Stone that I had used on Mordred – now, I had several more of those.
So I decided to take this opportunity to create ghost knights within the Order.
“Finally, everyone will come together!”
Lancelot was elated.
After all, the knights of Camelot had always displayed a sense of camaraderie and strong bonds with one another.
“Gawain would definitely suit fire. And Lionel, in his case…”
Once again, I followed Lancelot’s advice and selected Enhancement Stones that suited the knights the best. I used both Enhancement Stones and Mana Stones to knight them.
Clink, clatter!
The cost of knighting just one was one Enhancement Stone and 500 Mana Stones.
A total of 4,000 Mana Stones, a hefty price, but I spared no expense for the skeleton knights.
Click! Clatter!
Armor materialized in mid-air.
Gawain, Lionel, Galahad, Kay, Bohort, Hector, Tristan, and Caradoc.
“At your command!”
“At your command!”
The eight knights, radiating in dazzling, multicolored light, knelt before me,
Scratch, scratch!
And one after another, they began scratching themselves all over.
Whether they knew it or not, the skeleton knights showed unmistakable signs of joy.
“Captain!”
“Welcome, welcome!”
“How long has it been!”
They were skeletons who couldn’t laugh or cry.
But as I watched the knights naturally gather into a circle, it reminded me of the time I recently reunited with my family.
Perhaps all the wraiths of Camelot had been waiting for this very moment.
It was the moment when another ‘family’ was completed in this Subspace.
Moreover, it wasn’t just any family.
For these knights, there was a warm ‘home.’
I congratulated and encouraged the knights’ reunion.
“Alright, alright, no need to mind me. Go inside and greet each other properly.”
“My lord, that’s unnecessary!”
“All of this is thanks to you, my lord. How could we…”
I encouraged them again.
“Come on now, I’m telling you it’s fine. Just get inside already!”
“……?”
Step!
Step!
As if urged by a boss telling his employees to go home on time, the knights saluted me one by one and entered Camelot.
From the shadows of the dimly lit Camelot, I could hear the joyous voices of the knights leaked out.
“This cozy Camelot isn’t so bad!”
“Move further in! Haha.”
“Watch your legs there, hahaha!”
Clang, clang, clang!
Their armor clattered as they shared a loud and lively reunion.
The castle, Camelot, which surrounded them, seemed equally joyful.
Whirrr!
Whirr!
Camelot was running more vigorously than ever before.
“Haha. Those guys, could they be any happier.”
It was truly a heartwarming sight to behold.
***
We passed through Incheon and boarded a helicopter to return to the Joint Chiefs of Staff Headquarters in Yongsan.
Even though we had cleared the polluted atmosphere of Beijing, there was still the issue with Japan to deal with.
However, when I finally heard the details of the situation from Yoo Seong-cheol, it turned out to be far more than a simple environmental issue.
Feeling incredulous, I asked Yoo Seong-cheol again.
“…Did you just say they declared war?”
“Yes, apparently Fukuoka issued a declaration of war against Busan. Region to region. The representative of Busan said they received the notice from the Chamber of Commerce just yesterday.”
It was similar in form to the bidding competition.
But there was a major difference.
“Fukuoka… they’re humans, right?”
Humans, not monsters from another dimension.
They were using the war system of the Chamber of Commerce.
“That’s the thing… Japan’s current situation is a complete mess. No, to be precise, it was already bad, but now it’s utterly chaotic.”
Initially, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had maintained a hotline with the Japanese government.
But just a few days ago, Japan’s existing administration collapsed, and another faction had taken its place.
“The far-right extremist forces in Japan have united under the name ‘Reformation Awakening Society’. Well, up to this point, you might just shrug it off… but the real problem is that they’ve joined hands with beings from other dimensions. As their name suggests, they revere awakening abilities and entities from external dimensions.”
Yoo Seong-cheol added with frustration.
“This is all I know. The hotline with Japan was severed two days ago. Anyway, those guys will be pushing toward Busan soon.”
“…How much time do we have left?”
“The notice specified a time frame of seven days. Since that was yesterday… we have about six days left now.”
Yoo Seong-cheol, sounding a bit sheepish, continued hesitantly.
“We’re planning to head out within a few hours… but would it be possible to request support from you, Colonel Kim? I know you’ve just returned from China, so it’s a difficult thing to ask, but…”
“If it’s that, don’t worry. I have some business in Japan as well. But instead…”
“Instead?”
“There’s a place I’ll need to stop by on the way down.”
***
A few hours later, we were able to make contact with Busan’s representative.
Whoosh!
The rough sea winds swept through Busan.
They had set up their base in a modest hotel overlooking Busan Harbor.
The hotel, which included accommodations, a meeting room, and a dining hall, seemed to be an ideal spot for forces preparing to deal with the apocalypse.
“What do we do?! What should I do?!”
The representative of Busan was a young woman who looked barely past thirty. On the surface, she appeared composed, but she had a peculiar personality, occasionally bursting into a flurry of worries.
She shook Yoo Seong-cheol’s shoulders, her long black hair swaying with the motion.
“Thank you for coming! But right now! We’re running out of time!”
“Calm down, Representative Park. First, could you share that ‘declaration of war’ with us?”
“Oh, right! I can’t believe I forgot that!”
Being a regional representative implied she must be a fairly strong individual.
But contrary to her title, she was in a state of panic.
After regaining her composure with some difficulty, she shared with us the Chamber of Commerce’s message.
—
Notification from the Multidimensional Chamber of Commerce
A declaration of war has been received from the ‘Fukuoka’ region against your ‘Busan’ region.
For smooth conflict management, we are providing the following mediation details from the Chamber of Commerce.
[Time and Location]
Busan, Fukuoka
Seven days from now.
※ Any pre-emptive conflict will be considered grounds for disqualification.
[Victory Conditions]
Elimination of regional representative.
[Rewards]
– Business rights for the defeated region.
– Support for portal gate installation.
※ 20% of the portal gate’s revenue will be deducted as a brokerage fee and installation cost.
—
“Do you have any information about the enemy?”
“Ah, that came along too.”
[The Fukuoka region symbolizes the harmony of the multidimensional universe within the Earth’s dimension. After adopting advanced capabilities from the Sharite dimension, the Fukuoka region has transformed into merfolk capable of combat even underwater. While their business experience is still lacking, their exceptional collaboration skills have allowed them to monopolize Japan’s business rights, drawing attention to their future endeavors.]
“Merfolk…?”
Half-fish, half-human – beings that were a mix of the two species.
It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar sight.
Having already witnessed the half-goblins at the 1st Corps, I wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the concept of transformed beings.
However, if those creatures were incomplete hybrids, it seemed that Fukuoka’s forces had achieved a state of perfect fusion.
Busan’s representative, Park Seo-yoon, continued her explanation, her voice still trembling.
“I heard all the merfolk have ranks… In Busan, we only have ten people including myself…”
It made sense.
While reaching level 10 might be manageable, obtaining the 1,000 Mana Stones required for ranking up was a massive expense that was difficult for most to bear.
Park Seo-yoon’s worries continued.
“Director! Have we heard back from Daejeon and Gwangju yet?”
Both regions had emerged victorious in the previous Bidding Competition.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff maintained communication networks with all of these regions.
In this case, it seemed they had contacted all of them to request assistance in fending off the attack on Busan.
Yoo Seong-cheol replied.
“They’re on their way… but it will take a few days. Due to the lack of air power, they have no choice but to come by land. Each of them has about five ranked individuals.”
“Ahhh! What do we do? There’s not enough time! We don’t have enough people!”
Park Seo-yoon shrieked again, on the verge of a breakdown.
Meanwhile, Yoo Seong-cheol and I remained calm, our expressions composed.
Perhaps our apparent indifference grated on her nerves, as she suddenly burst out angrily.
“How can you both be so relaxed?! We’re all about to die! 3 million people in Busan are about to be eaten alive by merfolk…!”
Her imagination was surprisingly vivid.
To help expand the scope of her thinking, all I did was…
Ziiing.
“Huh? What’s that?”
…open a portal.
I was simply demonstrating to her that Busan was not isolated, and that the world was connected in countless ways.
.
.
.
Ziiing!
Ziiing!
“What… what is all this?!”
Rumble!
As an overwhelming crowd poured out of the portal, Park Seo-yoon was left speechless, her jaw hanging open.
Initially, she must have been disappointed.
She had been expecting substantial support from the Joint Chiefs, but all that had arrived was a single helicopter carrying Yoo Seong-cheol and me.
But now…
Rumble!
Hundreds of awakened individuals, handpicked by the Joint Chiefs, were pouring out of the portal right before her eyes.
“…Ahhh!”
She, who had been so anxious all this time, clutched at her chest as if her heart might burst. But it was still too early to be surprised.
Rumble! Rumble!
Dozens of awakened individuals that Min-woo had gathered from Incheon also came spilling through, along with…
Nearly a hundred more hulking, muscular awakened fighters.
“Long time no see, Jeong-gyeom-ssi.”
Among them were none other than the awakened individuals from Gangnam Severance Hospital.
Most notably, Song Hyun-gu, whom I had saved from Jin Seong-hak’s brainwashing.
On the way to Busan, I had stopped by Gangnam Severance and installed a portal after meeting Song Hyun-gu.
His broad, reliable shoulders exuded confidence. Around him swarmed dozens of other awakened individuals, ready for battle.
“Huuuuuuuhhhhhh!”
Overwhelmed with joy, Park Seo-yoon staggered, looking as if she might faint.
But it wasn’t over yet. Not even close.
“Young hero, Jeong-gyeom! Where are those filthy bastards?! Let me get my hands on those damn Japanese scum…!”
Dozens of martial artists, clad in traditional robes and gliding through the air using light footwork, arrived with a flourish.
“Grkkk…!”
This time, Park Seo-yoon couldn’t hold out. She foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Thud!
Eventually, she fell, her hand raised with a trembling thumbs-up.
With this, it was complete.
From Yongsan to Gangnam, Incheon, Busan, and even Beijing,
The basic framework of a logistics chain spanning five interconnected terminals was now established.
***
The Subspace Portal, now upgraded to Level 5, could accommodate up to 300 people at a time.
This was merely the capacity for individuals who could be housed within, meaning it could easily support the transportation of far more than that.
“If it’s like this… we might actually have a fighting chance!”
Busan’s representative, now fully recovered after fainting earlier, had regained all her energy and resolve.
However, I corrected her statement.
“A fighting chance? No, we’re going to wipe them out completely.”
“Completely… wipe them out?”
What I had done so far was simply to gather scattered forces from various regions into one place.
And yet, the true power of the Fulfillment Center logistics system went far beyond that.
“Now, it’s time to commence the supply operation.”
This was where the real game began.
I intended to distribute enhanced weapons to every awakened individual who had gathered in Busan.
In particular, to physical-type awakened individuals like Song Hyun-gu, I would provide martial arts manuals, and assign skilled trainers such as Yunyang or Kim Sol to them, ensuring their growth was maximized over the next few days.
As for the others, they weren’t a problem either.
I planned to hand out magic scrolls as if they were flyers.
With just one rip of a scroll, any awakened individual could summon considerable firepower to take down any merfolk that crossed their path.
In conclusion, every awakened individual gathered here in Busan would become several times stronger.
And all of this would happen in just a matter of days.
Park Seo-yoon hesitantly asked,
“Then… what about you, Colonel Kim?”
“While all of you are defending Busan…”
Defense wasn’t the only strategy.
The Chamber of Commerce had clearly stated the victory condition: the elimination of the opposing region’s representative.
So naturally…
“I’m going to capture the Fukuoka’s representative.”
Of course, there was one more reason.
“…And I’ll be taking care of some paperwork while I’m at it.”
By paperwork, I meant raiding the Chamber of Commerce itself.
That was the true purpose of my trip.
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